Young guys look to take a major step

Jun. 20, 2009

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FARMINGDALE - As I walked down the side of the 10th hole yesterday, the New York State trooper taking the same route sort of casually mentioned that, oh by the way, during his pre-tournament briefing he'd been reminded to "make sure to wear the (bulletproof) vest" this week. After all, he had been assigned to Sergio Garcia.

"Actually, all of us are wearing vests," he whispered a few minutes later. But his point - or joke (it was sort of hard to tell) - was legitimate all the same: Of the policemen designated to walk alongside the marquee players at this week's U.S. Open, it certainly stood to reason that the one shadowing Garcia - who was persistently targeted by New York fans seven years ago - might have the greatest potential for a problem. Turns out the worries were unnecessary. Yes, there were a few catcalls from "the knuckleheads," as the trooper called them, but mostly Garcia heard encouraging (if not flattering) words as he played in the so-called "pin-up" group at Bethpage Black.

For those unclear, the background is this: The United States Golf Association often comes up with thematic groupings during the first two rounds of the Open. Rocco Mediate, Tom Lehman and Kenny Perry were the "old guy" group. Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington were the "recent major winners" group. J.B. Holmes, Nick Watney and Alvaro Quiros were the "big hitters" group. And Garcia, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas were the "pin-up" group: all under 30, all with bagfuls of talent and all with the sort of looks that seem to attract a larger-than-normal number of female spectators to the gallery ropes.

It isn't just the ladies, either. At one point yesterday, a fan called out to Villegas, "Knock it in, you hunk!" as he lined up a putt. The admirer was male.

Garcia, who recently went through an emotional breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Morgan-Leigh Norman (daughter of Greg Norman), got his share of whistles, too. Additionally, he got a proposal: As he walked from the ninth green to the 10th tee, a man on the side of the tee box called out, "Sergio, I got a new girlfriend for you right here!" He had his arm around a girl who looked to be his daughter.

"Obviously this crowd isn't afraid," Scott said of the experience. "It was great to play in front of them."

Playing alongside Garcia, no one would have blamed Scott if he expected much worse. In 2002, the New York galleries were brutal toward Garcia: He was ridiculed. Criticized. Heckled and harangued over all four days, with most of the attention being paid to his annoyingly slow pre-shot waggles of the club (the fans began counting out the waggles in unison).

This time, the reception was nearly the complete opposite. Sure, one fan called out "Noonan!" just before he settled over a putt on the ninth (which he did go on to miss), but mostly it was cheers. Applause. Approval.

When Garcia struggled, like at the 11th where he missed an easy birdie putt in his first round, there were groans but no boos. Just a bevy of "Come on, Sergio!" cries from the grandstand. When he thrived, like at the 15th during his second round where he blasted an approach out of the rough tight to the pin, then made his birdie, the cheers reverberated. And lingered.

The fans even tried to help Garcia. At one point during his first round, Garcia hesitated on his way to a tee box when he came upon a stretch of copious mud and muck. Boxed in by spectator ropes on both sides, Garcia didn't look confident about being able to navigate the slippery crosswalk. He stopped and looked around for a different path.

"Hold on a minute, Sergio!" one nearby fan called out. "I'll lay my jacket down and you can walk across it!" Garcia grinned and eventually made his way across without the extra assistance.

Beyond their general popularity, the question still remains about just how good this trio can be. They have made millions of dollars among the three of them, but have a grand total of zero major championships.

"They've all got talent, but I think Sergio is the best ball-striker of the group - I think the other two would even say that," said Villegas' caddie, Joe LaCava, who has been Fred Couples' caddie for years but is with Villegas this week since Couples isn't playing at Bethpage. LaCava shrugged. "That doesn't necessarily mean he'll go the furthest," he added.

Yesterday it was Scott who did the best of the three, ending the day at 2-under through 29 rain-delayed holes. Garcia was tied for 25th at 1-over and Villegas, despite going as low as 3-under, finished at 4-over, tied for 65th. With the weather forecast still murky and 2 1/2 rounds or so left, there is a long way to go. Maybe this is the week one of them finally breaks through. Maybe this is the week one of them finally gets that first major.

If not, at least they know they are loved as much as anyone around here. Even Garcia.